The present invention relates to patient vital signs monitoring systems and pertains particularly to an improved multi-mode portable system with a wireless communication system for operating room environments.
In the first aforementioned application, of which I am co-inventor, a vital signs monitoring system is disclosed which includes a number of physiologic condition monitoring sensors, including an esophageal stethoscope incorporating a miniature microphone for pick up and transmission of signals representative of the sounds generated within the chest of a patient. These sounds of particular interest include the breathing sounds and the heart sounds. Processing circuits enable separation of the breath and heart sounds, as desired by the operator. These circuits also enable measurement of heart or pulse and breath or respiration rates, and comparison of these measured rates with preset reference rates. The system is also provided with means for initiating a visual or audible alarm in response to critical variations from the norm. The system further includes temperature sensing means in the esophageal catheter and a processing system for processing the various signals.
A wireless communication link comprises an omni-directional IR transmitter and a portable receiver. The transmitter transmits the vital signs sounds by way of IR waves to a miniature portable receiver carried by a monitoring physician or anesthesiologist. This system frees the anesthesiologist from the usual tube and wire constraints and permits maximum mobility with full monitoring capability during and following medical procedures.
During the critical times prior to and subsequent to insertion of the esophageal stethoscope into the patient, vital signs are normally monitored by an air tube stethoscope, which monitors the heart and breath sounds or the blood flow sounds during measurement of blood pressure. This procedure, however, unduly ties the anesthesiologist to the patient during this critical monitoring period, or in the alternative leaves the patient unmonitored during brief moments when the anesthesiologist must attend to other matters within an operating room.
In my prior U.S. Patents, I disclose systems for solving many of these problems. Subsequent improvements, as covered herein, have been developed to enhance the reliability of those systems, as well as add numerous useful monitoring functions.
Another problem, to which the present invention is directed, is that of the interference from other electrical and electronic equipment in the hospital operating room, such as electrosurgical equipment. Such equipment generate and emit or transmit large amounts of electromagnetic energy that overwhelm and interfere with any electronic transmission systems within the vicinity. Attempts to use AM an FM radio signals in the hospital operating and high intensity care rooms have not been successful. Initial attempts by the inventor to use the IR system resulted in difficulties due to interference from other electronic equipment.
Still another problem with monitoring equipment in operating rooms is in the vast number of monitoring systems and the noise and alarms associated therewith. The sounding of an alarm requires the monitoring physician to identify or locate the alarm, identify the problem vital sign and determine the problem. This is time consuming, under even optimum conditions, and is particularly confusing under multiple alarm conditions.
It is, therefore, desirable that a vital signs monitoring system be available, which permits a monitoring physician to constantly reliably monitor the vital signs of a patient, with full freedom to move about an operating room.
The present system provides means for overcoming these and other problems of prior systems.